Pre-entries: www.wildrun.com. This event is strictly pre-entry and limited to 80 participants.

NAMIBIA CROSSING - SEVEN DAYS

DIRECTIONS

Race Start Coordinates: -28.12431889647596, 16.89092490654116

Race Finish Coordinates: None

NAMIBIA CROSSING - SEVEN DAYS

THE RUN

This is a fiveday stage race.

Sendelingsdrif to Die Koei. Distance: 33 kilometres. Total ascent: 948 metres. The first day’s outing is long, slow poison. The route heads out in a south-west direction towards a very distinct series of five mountains called the 'Vyf Susters.' The route follows a series of valleys, before the scene opens up onto the Grasvlakte. At the 22-kilometre marker you reach the first-aid station and a welcome refill. From here the route winds up to the top of Helskloof Pass on jeep track. From the summit the route heads north and starts its rolling descent before taking the final drop into 'Die Koei' and your first camp of the day.

Die Koei to Hakkiesdoring. Distance: 33 kilometres. Total ascent: 630 metres. The second day touches the slopes of the big mountains of the Vandersterrberge and gives you a real feeling for this remote and truly wild area of the Richtersveld. At the junction of the Ganukouriep River valley there is an option of an extra dead-leg return to the most magnificent amphitheatre, a fortress of rock towering 150 to 200 metres straight up with a flat and sandy bottom. However, this is a tough return leg and only for those strong of legs.

Hakkiesdoring to De Hoop. Distance: 39 kilometres. Total ascent: 897 metres. The third day’s route first takes you out on the edge of the open expanse that is the Springbokvlakte. This magnificent plateau, sitting at an average of 600 metres above sea level, used to teem with millions of springbok that migrated here for the sweet grasses after good rains. The enormity of this space is all-encompassing. In front of you, the granite boulder towers of the fractured Tatasberg range mark the end of the plains and the opening of a very different chapter. From the aid-station at 13.6 kilometres you enter onto the giant granite sheets and clamber up through giant boulders to one of the smaller Tatasberg summits. Once you hit the mighty Orange River and the lush vegetation that comes with it, the route turns westwards and runs the outside bend of the river to the magnificent riverside camp of De Hoop.

De Hoop to Wilderness Hot Springs Camp. Distance: 49 kilometres. Total ascent: 779 metres. From the start you almost immediately cross the mightyOrange River to the Namibian side by a small boat. From here we rundownstream for six kilometres before reaching a small section of ‘main’ jeep track. Shortly thereafter we start a steady runnable nine kilometre climb up Jansen’s Kloof to the base of Zebra pass, so named for the clear trail created by the endemic Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra – a species of zebra especially adapted to arid and desert environments.
What follows will be one of the most memorable sections of the day, as we follow a wild game trail rollercoaster down Zebra Kloof to meet with the enormous Fish River Canyon at 24 kilometres. From here it’s a steady and hard-fought battle up the Fish River Canyon to the Wilderness Hot Springs Camp to enjoy a welcome rest in natural hot springs.

Wilderness Hot Springs to Ai Ais Hot Springs Resort. Distance 26 km. Total ascent: 874 metres. The shortest and final day begins with a last few bends of the Fish River Canyon before an unsuspecting slot ravine swallows us up from the river right at seven kilometres, taking us on an exploration to the east of the Fish River Canyon on well-worn game trails. We climb to a high point before winding our way towards Kameel loop (Giraffe walk) and the inner rolling hills with an aid-station checkpoint (ACP) at 14km. We descend to cross the Fish River at 18 kilometres before the steady climb up to the highest point of the day at 23 kilometres - and a truly magnificent 360 view over the mountains below. A steep and technical descent brings you back to the Fish River and soon, cheers bring you in to the finish of the Namibia Crossing